Hedgehog for Hawke by Fel Fern
Hawke
Icouldn’t believe I just said those words so casually. I boasted constantly to my brothers and to anyone who would listen that I wouldn’t let any Omega tie me down. Yet, here I was, offering to play pretend mate for River.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. “But it’s probably best I don’t lie.”
I nodded sagely, trying to pretend his decision did not disappoint me. “That’s probably for the best.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket, interrupting my conversation with River. I thought all my plans went down the drain the moment I lost sight of the twins.
Remembering my brother’s threat, I looked high and low for them. Walker and Manny tried to warn me. I thought the girls would behave the entire time. Well, today’s incident showed me I had plenty to learn about babysitting.
“It’s my brother,” I told River. I answered the call. “What’s up, bro?”
“Is everything fine?” Walker asked. “Meg didn’t answer my last text message.”
I laughed. “Probably because you’re being overprotective. The kids are fine.” Knowing my brother would insist on some kind of proof, I took a quick picture of the kids. After sending it to him, I pressed the phone to my ear again.
“Thanks, Hawke,” he said. “Manny says I should relax, that you got this babysitting gig in the bag. I was wrong for doubting you.”
“Damn right you are,” I said.
Next to me, River rolled his eyes. I didn’t mind he overheard our conversation.
“Manny and I will rely on you in the future,” he said.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” I said. “I love them to pieces but I think I’ll sit out the next job.”
“By the way, did they make a new friend?” Walker asked.
“Oh yeah. That’s River’s kid, Mike. By the way, I’m with River right now and he’s asking if you gave the principal of that preschool a call?” I asked for River’s sake because I knew my Omega would be too shy to ask himself.
River looked like he wanted to murder me.
“I did. He said he could slot in an interview for River and his son two Wednesdays from now. Is that fine?” I looked at River for confirmation. He blew out a breath and nodded. I could tell he was excited. “That’s good.”
“Great. Okay, I won’t bug you or the twins anymore,” Walker said.
“See ya later, bro.” I ended the call.
“I wish you hadn’t done that,” River muttered.
“Why not?” I asked
“Because it made me sound desperate. Well, technically I am, but I could’ve waited for Monday to ask,” he pointed out.
“Heh. That’s a long wait.” I wanted to ask him more questions, to get to know him better, but the kids made their way to us. “What’s up, kiddos? Ran out of gas?”
“Hungry,” Meg complained.
“Yes,” Liz agreed.
“Me too,” Mike added.
“Why don’t we all go to May’s diner?” River beat me to the question, and that caught me off-guard.
I was still figuring out the best way to convince him to eat with us. Taking the girls to the park turned out to be a resounding success after all.
Now all I needed to do was not screw this date up. Technically, this wasn’t a date, but it certainly was a step towards winning River’s heart.
May’s Diner was only a block away. I thought with three kids in tow, it would take us longer to get there. All three kids were suspiciously well-behaved during our walk. Then again, the promise of desserts was an excellent motivator. A waitress beamed at us when we entered.
“Table for five?” She asked.
“Ice cream!” Liz said.
“Pie!” Meg added.
“Alright, girls. Settle down,” I said.
The waitress led to a booth facing the window. The girls and I sat in one booth while River and Mike occupied the other booth.
“Remember, girls. You can’t have dessert right away, you need to eat your main dish first. And veggies. Veggies are important,” I added.
They turned their noses at that.
“Look, Mike’s having mac and cheese with a side of baked vegetables,” I said, knowing I was about to have a mini war on my hands. Walker had complained occasionally about how hard it was to get the girls to eat their vegetables.
“Okay. Same,” Liz said. Meg agreed.
The waitress returned with crayons and colouring sheets for the kids. Liz, Meg and Mike looked delighted. She then took the kids’ orders. “And what will your dads be having?” She asked afterwards.
River blushed. I didn’t blame her for making that mistake. River and I would make for a cute couple. If we finally took that final step and had kids together, I bet they’d look amazing with our combined genetics.
Dang. I was doing it again. Thinking three steps ahead when I we had gotten nowhere. Days ago, I knew asking him out on a real date would be futile. His answer would be an immediate no.
What about now? I could sense something had changed between us. The air between us felt different. Charged.
“Um. A cheeseburger and fries for me,” River said quickly. I didn’t miss the fact he didn’t correct the waitress about us not being a couple.
“Same for me, except make that 2 burgers,” I told her.
Once she left and the kids were distracted by their crayons and sheets of paper, I turned to River.
“This isn’t how I imagined spending my afternoon,” I said.
That was a complete lie, of course. My goal today was to spend some time with him and Mike. First, I needed to destroy the wall of awkwardness that had appeared when the waitress mistook us for the kids’ dads.
“Oh?” River asked.
“It’s a lot better,” I told him.
“It’s not so bad,” he admitted. “Mike and I had a pretty shitty morning but you and the twins turned everything around.”
“Shitty,” Meg repeated. Liz did the same, and so did Mike.
“Oh, my God. I’m so sorry,” River said quickly as the kids grinned at each other.
I couldn’t help it. I started laughing and couldn’t seem to stop.
“Hey, it’s not funny,” River injected. “What will Walker say if he learns his kids learned that word from me?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell him it’s my fault,” I reassured River.
My Omega looked so adorable when he was worried. Of course, I’d never tell River that. He chewed on his bottom lip and looked undecided.
“Really?” He asked.
“Yeah, but you owe me one.”
Now River looked a little wary.
“I’m not going to ask you to do anything outrageous,” I told him.
“Oh yeah?” he asked.
“Go out on a date with me,” I blurted.
Wow. That sure sounded desperate. I usually never had a problem asking guys to sleep with me—but River was in a different league all together. I didn’t just want to lure him to my bed and then forget about him the next morning.
River was different. Special. Mine.
Mine? My wolf said those words, not me.
“That’s all?” River asked me.
“Hey, it’s not easy asking you out,” I pointed out, pretending to sound offended.
“I find that hard to believe,” he said. “You’re the sort of guy who’s not easily embarrassed.”
“You’re right but when it comes to you, it’s different.”
I wished an entire table didn’t separate us so I could touch him. Reach for his fingers. I kept looking at the tempting curve of his mouth and wondering what he’d taste like. Sweet for sure. I shouldn’t even imagine kissing him.
“Why am I different?” He asked. “Were you really worried about me rejecting you?”
“Absolutely.” I took a deep breath.
I wasn’t the kind of guy who wore my heart on my sleeve. I didn’t allow anyone see my vulnerable side if I could help it. This time around, I was willing to take risks.
“Give me, us, a chance, River. You won’t regret it.”
“Okay.”
At first I thought I imagined him saying that word, but I didn’t. Meg stopped colouring her sheet and winked at me. The little devil. Now I wondered if the twins ran out on me on purpose.
Had they orchestrated the entire park thing? On second thought, I was being paranoid. Kids weren’t that smart. Right? I winked back at Meg. Liz gave me a thumbs up sign, all the while River looked at the three of us suspiciously.
“Awesome. By the way, I don’t have your number yet,” I said.
We exchange cellphone numbers. The waitress arrived with our orders.
“Three baked mac and cheese with a side of vegetables?” She asked.
“Me!” Liz and Meg said at the same time. The kids then started talking about some TV show they liked to watch.
I noticed River watching Mike intently.
“Something wrong?” I asked him.
“No. I’m just surprised Michael’s so chatty. He’s usually so shy around other kids. I’m glad they get along so well. I really hope he can get into the same school.”
“He will,” I said. “Don’t forget my offer. I’ll be happy to play your fake mate anytime.”
To my surprise, River laughed. I had a feeling my Omega didn’t have time to relax and laugh often, but that didn’t matter. I’ll give him more reasons to smile and laugh.